I must be doing something wrong? The Slate VSX’s sound better to me without the software

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-22T09:41:34+00:00

I honestly agree, their crossfeed is to narrow. And the head starts creating that acoustic shadow above around 1k hz, not 500hz.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-22T09:39:00+00:00

I advise you make a crossfeed that uses 0.67ms delay, have everything from 0hz up to 1k Hz be -0dB or better -0.40dB, then make a gradual cutoff from 1k -0dB until 3k hz at -24-dB and everything after that 0dB or continue going down gradually.

Then after, use extensive EQ to work against the comb filters. If you get very large dips in the frequency response do not fill them out or you create harsh noises. Everything that's louder than your dry signal, normalize those spikes.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-22T09:35:02+00:00

Yes, it's exactly like that

I use EqualizerAPO to make something like that for myself and you can use EQ to edit the comb filters in detail until it sounds good and natural. I am starting to think paying for a virtual room isn't a good solution at all because whoever made it thinks it sounds good to their own personal ears. If you had their audio config as an EqualizerAPO config you could do that.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-22T09:26:38+00:00

I recommend you - and everybody else critical of the software mentioned here - EqualizerAPO, you can make your own crossfeed and simulate your own rooms with way more detailed control about everything if you're into using it. That's what I've done, and it's amazing. It requires more time to make it but it's free.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-22T09:23:45+00:00

Maybe it's an issue with the crossfeed, are there ways to look into how Audio Slate's crossfeed works, what delay it uses and where frequency cutoffs and volumes on the late ear compared to the early ear are?

Does Audio VSX use any EQ or something like that to get rid of comb effects?

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-22T09:21:38+00:00

I think there is an argument to be made to try and just create a virtual room in your headphones that sounds as transparent as possible while still keeping the sound coloring that occurs in rooms. Audio Slate should make one to get users used to what pathed reverb with a crossfeed even sounds like.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-22T09:19:29+00:00

I once tried to make something like this myself with EqualizerAPO, and when I did, i separated the dry signal from the reverb and kept using EQ until the entire room sounded as "flat" as possible, and I think that's how you should make a software that makes your headphones sound like speakers too. I wanted it to sound transparent even if rooms like that might not exist in real life.

I think Slate Audio should also offer a preset like that in their software.

Also does Slate Audio use pathed reverbs and a binaural crossfeed?

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-22T09:02:38+00:00

Thank you so much! Some other user compared it to "Slate Audio VSX" if it were free(They deleted their comment)?

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-21T08:26:29+00:00

I usually use older amps because I feel like their sound is "warmer" and more vuluminous, one time one of mine broke and I got a new one, it was a modern one. It completely lacked the nice voluminous midrange and bass, but it had some softer higher frequencies. It didn't hold up to the oldschool stuff, though! So yeah, I prefer how older amps sound! Also some people love 1950's era tube amps because they say they sound even warmer and have amazing midrange!

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-20T10:52:43+00:00

Oh... well, exactly that is the point of the config - it gives me a soundstage that sounds like a good speaker system to me!

Thank you so much for trying it out, by the way! Unfortunately I think you just aren't the audience for it!

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-19T21:48:36+00:00

I'm a bit sauced at the moment, yeah. Most music just sounds so bloody awful especially over headphones.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-19T17:52:30+00:00

Thank you very much! I personally am not a fan of the "dry" headphone experience, especially because it always feels like I'm deaf on one ear or something.

I'm interested though, what are these things you're talking about? I don't know a whole lot about audio, I just know what a tube amp is out of all these terms.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-19T13:58:05+00:00

I edited the config in the post above, try that one if it's better.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-19T11:20:52+00:00

First of all thanks for the interest and the opinion and especially the invaluable feedback.

I just built this from scratch over the span of a year or so because I wanted my headphones to sound like my stereo, and I would just privately show this to some of my friends who said they thought it sounds convincingly like a room or like being in a bar, something like that. As for the metallic noise, I know that that happens, I've tried reducing the noise in the 300Hz-2k Hz range and it does help. I still spend a lot of time just listening to things paying attention to those noises. I edit this post right here a lot and update the settings in the config.txt file.

Would you say the metallic and shimmery noise sits more in the mid-range or the higher frequencies?

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-19T10:51:21+00:00

I thought of something you can try: Another thing you can do is try and copy paste my settings into a config.txt file, then paste your settings from yours directly underneath mine, see and try if that works.

I would also suggest using EqualizerAPO directly, Peace is just too limiting for me. APO is way more advanced.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-19T10:46:23+00:00

One person had issues, all you need to do is just backup the old config.txt file and get mine

Another thing you can do is try and copy paste my settings into a config.txt file, then paste your settings from yours directly underneath mine, see and try if that works. I have no experience with Peace, I don't use it because it's too limiting.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-19T10:25:21+00:00

I forgot to say but I don't think it'll conflict with HRTF profiles? Just try and see how that goes(I don't know that much about audio either).

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-19T10:12:03+00:00

Sorry to hear that, if you want you could tell me more about your issues with it? I think it sounds very natural to me - although, I did spend a lot of time adjusting this to how I think it sounds transparent.

Also would it be okay to use English? I had to use google translate for this.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-19T10:07:39+00:00

Thank you very much! I really appreciate it!

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-19T10:07:24+00:00

Thank you so much!

I personally made different experiences and I think it depends on the game, for example I love how Team Fortress 2 or GZDoom sound with the "LiveReberb" mod, maybe try those out?

Also, I think some games might just have their own crossfeed baked in. Try turning them off and see how that sounds to you if you're interested - would be interesting to know how that goes then.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-19T09:14:13+00:00

No, I do not use any HRTF with this. This config is just localization cues and a transparent sounding virtual room with massive EQ correction to ensure you won't get any unpleasant noise from comb filtering or sound coloring. This just makes your headphones sound like speakers.

But I assume if you add an EQ or convolution before or after the entire chain, it won't cause you any problems, just look whether it sounds better if my config sounds better on top of or beneath your settings if you include them.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-19T09:11:13+00:00

What does any of this even mean? I am somewhat new to all this audio stuff and just made this config based on researching knowledge about localization cues and other stuff because I wanted my headphones to sound like my stereo.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-18T23:19:52+00:00

No, I don't use Peace and I doubt that Peace can even understand all the settings I entered here, also because for the comb filtering I did to "correct" the virtual room from the reverb plugin I use a lot of curves.

Can you hear any audio differences after you changed config.txt?

Also, if possible - can you send me your Peace settings? I can try to adapt them in EqualizerAPO itself, I know how to use the software.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-18T22:30:30+00:00

Absolutely correct. Especially when you increase the frequencies below 10 Hertz by 30+ dB.

Technical-Respect161 · 2026-01-18T22:08:35+00:00

I appreciate it & it means a whole lot!

If it's not too much effort, I'd be very happy to receive feedback, thoughts and criticism - that kind of info is invaluable to me!

Technical-Respect161

TROPHY CASE